


All for a Number

by whenindoubtblamekirk



Category: The Oregon Files - Clive Cussler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenindoubtblamekirk/pseuds/whenindoubtblamekirk
Summary: You, Eric, and Murph go out to explore the city when you find yourself accidentally drinking something a little stronger than soda.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

“You know, Juan doesn’t want you doing this,” you say, leaning forwards in your seat so your face comes in between Eric and Murph. 

Eric’s hands grip the steering wheel. “Y/N, it’s only for a second. In and out. Promise.”

Murph nods, clearly excited. “Just got to find her real quick, get her number, and make my brilliant exit.”

Eric’s soft brown eyes look up at you in the rearview mirror. “Hypothetically.” he teases, smiling. You grin back as Murph gets defensive. 

He crosses his skinny arms over a black shirt with some unknown band on it. “Hey, I told you. She talked to me first. She definitely likes me. Which is why,” he points to the left, and Eric takes the turn. “I’m going to ask her out.”

You roll your eyes. “We should really be getting back to the ship. Juan didn’t expect us to be taking a detour.”

Earlier that day, Juan sent you, Eric, and Murph out to explore the city a little and return while on shore leave. Normally, you stick with the two boys when the Corporation doesn’t have a job. Given the age gap, you’ve come to see them as older siblings. With all the bickering and teasing the three of you get tied up in, you definitely treat each other as such. Tonight, you have a feeling you’re about to get in trouble with them, especially given where you’re going. 

“Just remember,” Eric says, looking at you over his eyeglasses. “Don’t drink anything.”

You roll your eyes. You’re years from being able to legally drink, and though in international waters you technically could drink however much alcohol you want, Juan and the others have made it clear that won’t be happening. “I know, Eric.”

He nods. Of the two of them, he’s always been the more responsible, though he’s had his fair share of moments. 

The three of you pull up to a house. The ground shakes to an electronic beat as lights flash through the windows. The sounds of a riled crowd reach your ears. 

Eric turns to Murph. “Ten minutes, then we’ve got to head back,” he says, motioning to you in the backseat. Murph smiles broadly as he hops out of the car. You reach for your door when Eric shakes his head. 

“On second thought, you’re staying put.”

You frown. “Aw, come on.”

He locks the doors as he steps outside. Before closing it, he says. “The Chairman would kill me if I let you join us.” And with that, he shuts the door, leaving you alone. 

You cross your arms, slumping in your seat. “So stupid.”

After a few minutes, you check your watch.

_ 11:49 PM. _

You sigh, staring at the red door of the house. Flopping around in the car, you unbuckle your seatbelt and lay flat on the bench seat. You try to fall asleep, unfortunately to no avail. Grumbling, you check the console for anything to help you pass the time. Finding a pen and paper, you begin to doodle some crappy drawings, bored out of your mind.

Another few minutes passes by. The green numbers on your watch glow, reading 12:13 am. You roll your eyes.

“Seriously guys?” You reach for the handle to the door, the interior lights blinking on as it opens. A cool breeze meets you, and you pull your sweatshirt tighter around your small frame.

Walking up the steps to the door, you mutter, “I swear to God if I walk in on anything gross, I’m telling Juan.”

The electronic music is nearly deafening, and you wonder how the neighbors haven’t called the police by now. Realizing knocking on the door is futile, you simply open it. 

Instantly, the smell of alcohol overpowers you, and you take a step back outside in response. Sucking in a breath, you step inside again, keeping your head down.

“Come on, guys. Where are you?” You make your way through the crowd, people bumping into you constantly. One man in the corner begins to puke, and you just barely dodge in time to avoid getting it on your shoes. The beat of the music shakes your shoes and makes your head spin. Soon, the crowd engulfs you. Being shorter than everyone, you quickly lose sight of the exit.

You curse. Going up to the nearest person, you tap on their shoulder. “Excuse me?”

A woman in her mid-twenties turns around, her face flushed. Her all-black clothing makes the edges of her figure fade in and out with the flashing lights, reminding you of a ghost. “Hi sweetie!” her voice is sweet and slurred. You eye the bottle of beer in her hand. 

Your face goes bright red. “Um… have you seen two guys come through here? One is kinda goth, the other is nerdy looking?”

She giggles for a while, her piercings flashing in the lights. “I-” she hiccups. “I don’t… know.” She downs the rest of her beer and turns her back to you.

For a while, you continue to shimmy through the crowd, occasionally asking people if they’ve seen Eric or Murph, each time getting the same answer. 

Huffing, you sit down at a table. You’ve quickly lost track of where you are in the big house, and the people around you are way too drunk to help you find your way out. Instead, you decide to watch the crowd in case you see either of them. 

A man comes up next to you. “Want something to drink?” He offers you a red solo cup. Remembering Eric’s warning, you turn him down. 

The man gives you a drunken smile, taking in your young face. “How about some soda?”

You lick your dry lips.  _ That I can have…  _

After a second, you nod. The man quickly grabs you a cup and hands it to you. 

“Thanks,” you say, taking a sip. The fizzy coldness hits your throat, parching your thirst. Though you don’t recognize the flavor, you continue to drink, liking the taste. 

“This is good. What is it?”

He smiles broadly. “Want another one?” he asks as you finish your cup. You nod eagerly, enjoying the fizziness. 

After your second soda, you begin to feel excited. Turning to the man, you start rambling. “I’m here looking for… my friends….” you stare off into space for a second, struggling to remember their names. A fuzzy image pops into your mind, but you can’t remember the name. 

_ Which one wears glasses?  _ You wonder. 

The man nods. “Yeah…” 

You continue. “I’m not supposed to be here,” you giggle a little, taking another sip of soda. “I’m actually supposed to be home…” Something scratches at the back of your mind. A man’s voice fades as blue eyes flash in your mind. You frown. “He’s not go-gonna be happy…”

The man looks at you, his eyes glassy and rimmed with red. “Who?”

You shrug slowly. “I can’t-” you scrunch up your face. “I don’t know.”

The man just laughs. “M-must not… not mat-matter,” he slurs. 

You nod, smiling. “Yeah! Who cares?” You grab another cup of soda, accidentally hitting an abandoned bottle of beer over. You don’t even hear the crash of the bottle on the ground over the loud music as the beer spills onto the floor. 

“Whoops,” you say, laughing. “Someone might want to clean that up!”

The man chuckles. You pull at the collar of your sweatshirt, suddenly feeling warm.

After finishing your third soda, your vision begins to blur as the music fades in and out. When you look around for the man from before, you realize he’s gone. Swallowing, you stumble to your feet before collapsing back down into your seat. 

“Whoa…” you mutter as the room spins. “Mmm gon-gonna stay… sitting.” 

A group of women join you at the table, all of them giggling as they hold beers in their hands. “Mind if we… if we… join?” A blonde asks. 

You nod, smiling broadly. “Friends!”

A brunette looks you up and down, giggling. “How old…” she hiccups. “How… old… are you?”

Grinning, you reach for another cup of soda. “Old!” Giddiness bubbles in your chest and you begin to giggle. You look down at your cup then back up at the three ladies. “I-I… like… this…” you laugh again, and they raise their beers up in the air. 

“Cheers!” A shorter blonde squeals, her face flushed. 

You clumsily raise your cup to them, some of the soda spilling onto your hand and dripping onto the table. For some reason, you don’t care. Giggling again, you clink their beers. 

The four of you talk for a while, mostly laughing at stupid things. 

“My… my fav-favorite part was…” you stop for a second, then stare up at them. “What… oh yeah… when he went-” you mime an explosion with your hands. “That was hi-” you hiccup. “Hilarious…”

Suddenly, you feel a hand on your shoulder. Slowly, you turn your head. 

Two men stare down at you, panting. “Y/N! We’ve been looking all over for you!”

The man with the glasses crosses his arms, frowning. “I told you to stay in the car.”

You blink slowly as you begin to recognize the two men. You giggle as the room continues to spin. Sluggishly sweeping an arm towards the three ladies, you slur, “Meet… my fr-friends…” 

Finally, their names pop into your head. Eric and Murph share a look. Murph steps forward, suspiciously sniffing your soda cup. 

“Hey!” you reach a heavy arm up towards him. “That’s… mine!”

He quickly pulls it away, his nose wrinkled. “Eric…” He hands the cup to Eric. 

Eric curses as he sniffs the cup’s contents. “Y/N, we need to get you home.”

You pout. “But I… I like… like it… here!”

The three women look up at Eric and Murph. “What’s-” the brunette takes another sip of beer, frowning. “Wrong?”

Eric rubs the back of his neck, looking to Murph. After a second, Murph scoffs, answering, “She’s a teenager and she’s drunk. That’s what’s wrong.”

You frown, looking down at the cup. “No… it-it’s… soda…” 

“No, that’s beer.” Murph says, motioning for you to get up. “Come on, let’s go.”

“B-But-”

Eric looks pointedly at you. “Now.”

The two men each grab an arm and pull you out of your seat. Your legs feel like jello beneath you, and you quickly fall to the floor. 

You grin up at them, the room fuzzy. “Guess… we can’t… go.”

In response, they loop their arms underneath you, picking you up.

Eric turns to Murph as the three of you make your way to the door. “Was that number worth it?”

Murph frowns. “Whoa whoa whoa… this is not my fault. You’re the one that told her to stay in the car!”

“Which she was doing so you could get a girl’s number.” Eric shoots back. He grunts as you slip out of his grip and back onto the floor.

Leaning against his leg, you look up at him with glassy eyes. Reaching an arm up, you poke his nose. “Boop!”

He sighs, and with Murph’s help they get you up off of the ground again. 

“I want… more… soda…” you whine, looking around for another cup. The edges of your vision are fuzzy, and the floor sways beneath your feet.

Eric and Murph finally get you to the door, half-dragging you. Struggling to not lose his grip on you, Eric reaches for the keys and unlocks the car. Murph quickly opens the door and helps you inside. 

“Thank you!” you say cheerfully as he clicks your seatbelt in. He looks up at you, shaking his head, muttering something about an angry boss. 

“I’m gonna… lay… here…” you whisper, yawning. 

“Mark,” Eric says as he sits down in the driver’s seat. “Stay out back with her.”

“Okay.” Murph makes his way to the other side of the car and sits next to you. He pulls your head onto his bony shoulder, careful not to let you fall over. 

You smile broadly, letting out another string of giggles. Poking his leg, you draw a smiley face with your finger, taking a few tries to get it right. 

“This is… fun…” you say, laughing. 

Eric looks at you in the rearview as he begins driving down the road. He says something, but you don’t hear him. Finally, Murph shakes your arm. 

“W-what?”

“Eric asked how much you had?”

You stare up at him, your face feeling warm. “Of… what?”

Murph pinches the bridge of his nose. “Of beer. How much beer?”

You shrug slowly. “I dunno.” Suddenly, you point to a dark object outside. “Look, a dog!”

Eric’s eyes go wide as he stares at the mailbox. “I guess that answers that question.”

You frown. “What… question?”

Murph opens his mouth to speak when he’s cut off by a buzzing sound. He curses, pulling out his phone. His face goes pale as he reads who it is. 

He holds the phone away from him as though it’s covered in bees. “Eric, what do I do?”

Eric’s face goes white. “I don’t know!”

You slowly reach your hand up towards the bright phone. “What… is… what is… it?”

Murph quickly pulls it out of your reach. “Eric…” 

“I don’t know,” Eric repeats. “Answer it!”

“What?” Murph asks, incredulous. “No way!”

“This is your fault. Answer the phone, Mark!”

You grin up at him, your eyelids heavy. “I can…”

“No!” he yelps. He takes a breath. “No. I’ll… I’ll answer it.” Hesitantly, he taps the screen. 

“Hey Chairman!” Murph answers, his voice filled with forced positivity. There’s a pause for a second. “Nope, all good here. Just running a little late.” Another pause. “Everything’s fine, why?” He waits a second. “I don’t sound weird. I’m fine!”

After a second, he holds the phone out to Eric. “He wants to talk with you.”

Eric’s eyes go wide and he shakes his head quickly. “Tell him I’m busy!”

Juan’s voice comes over the phone. “I can hear you, Eric.”

Eric swallows hard. “Uh…” he makes no move to reach for the phone. “Hi Chairman!”

“What’s going on? Why didn’t you answer earlier?”

Eric and Murph share a look. 

Before Murph can stop you, you grab the phone out of his hand. “Hi boss!”

“Y/N? Where are you guys?”

Murph and Eric both yell at you to give the phone back. Murph grapples for it, but you tuck into the fetal position, preventing him from reaching it. 

“Shit!” Murph yelps as he struggles to try to grab it from you. 

Eric reaches a hand back towards you. “Do something, Murph!” 

“I’m trying!”

Juan’s voice comes over the phone again. “What the hell is going on?”

In response, you giggle, sluggishly fighting the hands off. “They… don’t want… want to get… in trouble…” 

“Why would they be in trouble?” Juan asks, his voice full of suspicion. “What did you guys do?”

Murph finally reaches the phone, but not before you exclaim. “I had beer!” 

Eric and Murph go pale. 

“Oh shit…” Eric whispers. 

“‘Oh shit’ is right,” Juan snaps. “Whoever the hell is holding the phone, put me on speaker.”

Murph taps the speaker button, knowing resisting is futile. 

“Eric, Murph, she’d better be kidding.”

They both open their mouths to speak, but you beat them to it. “I’m… not… there was this soda… bu-but…” you shake your head, the interior of the car spinning. “It wasn’t… a-and I had some… and now…” you giggle again. “I feel… weird.”

“Boss, we can explain-” Eric starts. 

“You’d better. Get back to the  _ Oregon.  _ Now.”

The drive home is slow, and you spend most of it in Murph’s lap. 

“Mm… dizzy…” you mutter as Eric turns off the car. The silhouette of the  _ Oregon  _ looms above you, and you can barely make out two figures walking towards the three of you quickly.

Murph unbuckles you and helps you out of the car. You stumble a few feet before Eric catches you. He glares at Murph. 

“This is your fault,” he whispers harshly. 

“Actually,” Juan steps forward. “This is on both of you.” 

The two boys nod quickly.

Dr. Huxley comes to your side. “Hey, sweetie.”

You slowly poke her nose in response. “Boop…”

She turns to Juan. “I’m gonna take her inside.” 

He nods. Eric and Murph move to follow, but Juan stops them. “Not you two.” 

Hux begins to try to help you up to the ship’s ramp when you fall back down to the ground. She quickly kneels beside you, holding your back up. 

You point up at the spinning stars that dance in the dark night sky. “Pretty…”

She hums in agreement before pulling out her phone. “Max, can you come help me? She’s not going anywhere on her own.”

You giggle again. “Can… I… stay here?”

“No, sorry, Y/N.” She waves to Max as he saunters down the ramp towards you. 

Concern washes over his face as he takes in your crumpled form. “Hey, sweetheart.”

You grin up at him. “Hey… Max!” you squeal, your words slurred. 

He comes down beside you and takes your other arm. Wedged between him and Huxley, they slowly bring you up the ramp. 

“Mm… t-tired…” you mutter as you begin to get drowsy, struggling to keep your head up. Underneath you, your legs feel like sandbags. 

“We’re going to get you some rest real soon, okay?” Huxley says, her voice soft. The three of you enter the ship and begin to make the journey to medbay. 

You drag your feet for a second, looking back. “Wait…”

Max looks down at you. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“Did… did he… h-he get her number?”

Max laughs, sharing a look with Juan as he begins to walk towards you. “Something tells me that if he did, he’s not going to be allowed to use it.”

Juan looks you up and down, his face serious. He turns to Huxley. “How much do you think she’s had?”

She bites her lip. “Given her size and age, it probably only took one or two to get her like this.”

You grin up at Juan, holding up three fingers. “F-four…” 

The three of them look at your fingers, knowing that they don’t match what you said. Max’s eyes bug out. “Four?”

You hiccup. “Ye-yeah… four.” Slowly, you begin to count off your fingers. “One… three…” your face scrunches up. Looking at Max, you ask, “W-what… what’s…. after… three?”

“Jesus Christ…” Juan mutters. He pulls Huxley’s hand off of your arm. “Let me pick her up.”

He scoops you up into his arms as Huxley moves out of his way. 

“Wee!” you squeal. Your mouth stretches into an O as he puts you up near his shoulder. “It’s… high up… up here.” you whisper into his ear. Pulling your arm up slowly, you boop his nose. 

He shifts so that he’s holding you up with one arm and gently pushes your hand away from his face. “Y/N, stop.”

“Mmkay…” you giggle as your hand is placed on your chest. As soon as it settles there, you move it again, letting it flop down at your side. 

Huxley struggles to keep up with Juan’s long stride. Huffing, she says, “What I’m worried about is that she hasn’t thrown up yet.”

Juan nods in agreement. “Eric and Mark said she didn’t get sick.” He looks down at you, his eyebrows furrowed, saying something. 

You stare up at his blue eyes. “Pretty…” 

“Y/N, honey.” Max taps your arm. “He asked how you feel.”

Your mouth hangs open. “Ohh… umm… Mm fine…” Though your stomach does a flip. 

“You’re really not,” Max says, chuckling.

Juan looks at you, shaking his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

You poke his nose again. “More… soda?” you ask, your voice tiny. 

“No,” the three of them say in unison. 

You giggle again. “That’s okay!” Clumsily, you wrap your arms around Juan. “I still… love… you.”

“Jeesh, is she a happy drunk…” Max mutters, laughing.

Juan chuckles. “No kidding.”

The four of you stop for a second, arriving at medbay. Max gets the door, and Juan carries you inside. Huxley disappears.

Behind Juan’s back, you see Max close the door. You reach out an arm to him. “I l-love… you… Max…”

He smiles up at you. “Love you too, honey.”

You rest your chin on Juan’s shoulder. Tapping it, you slur, “He… said it… back.”

Juan’s chest vibrates as he laughs. “I love you too, Y/N. There. I said it.” 

You kiss his shoulder. “Thank… you…”

“You can put her here, Juan.” Huxley’s voice comes out of nowhere.

You curl up close to Juan, your temperature suddenly dropping. “Cold…” you whisper as your hands start to shake. 

Max frowns, his face growing serious. “That can’t be good.”

Juan lowers you onto a bed. “No,” he agrees. He places a warm hand to your slick forehead. The sweat that was once keeping you uncomfortably hot is now making you shiver. “Julia!” he calls, taking in your blue lips.

Max grunts as he comes up next to Juan, studying your paling face. “Poisoning?”

“Lay her on her side,” Huxley orders. Juan and Max roll you onto your side. In Hux’s hands is a trash can and a glass of water. “Drink, sweetie.”

You reach for the blurry cup, but miss it completely. Max takes it in one of his hands and lifts it to your lips. “Here.”

You take a sip of water, the coldness making you shiver again. Suddenly, you begin to cough and gasp, the water going into your lungs. Someone lays a hand on your back as you continue to sputter for a few seconds. 

After getting your lungs clear, you manage to say, “Whoops.” You take a shaky, shallow breath. Weakly, you look up at Huxley. 

She wheels an IV drip bag towards you. Turning to Juan and Max, she says, “I need to get fluids in her. Step back please.”

The two men move out of her way, but watch closely. Juan whispers something to Max about punishing Eric and Murph.

Before you can stop yourself, you twist your head to the side and puke. Huxley barely gets the trash can to you in time, preventing it from going all over the floor. With the barrel in one hand, she holds back your hair with the other. Another wave of nausea hits you as bile travels up your throat again. 

You dry heave for a few seconds before the nausea finally fades. Huxley takes a napkin and wipes your mouth. 

“Ew…” you mutter. 

“Take a few breaths for me.” Huxley orders. You blink up at her, taking a full minute to understand what she’s saying. Juan and the others share an unsettled look as you only take six breaths during the whole time. 

Huxley pulls out an IV line and picks up your limp arm. You blink as the room gets fuzzy, black eating away at the edges of your vision. The medbay lights dazzle on the white ceiling. Juan turns your arm over for her, letting her get access to your vein. Though you watch her expertly slip the needle under your skin, you don’t feel the usual prick. 

“Alright, Y/N, let’s get you fixed up.”

Her voice fades as your eyes get heavy. “Mmkay…” you mutter. Before any of them can stop it, you’re pulled into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

“Welcome back,” Juan says, his voice cutting through the fog in your mind. Off to the side, you hear a faint beeping. 

Levering your eyelids open, you squint at the bright overhead lights, shielding your eyes with the back of your hand. 

“What- where-” you stutter, groaning at your splitting headache. 

“Medbay,” Huxley says as she walks in. Dark circles are smudged under her eyes. “You had alcohol poisoning.”

You blink, looking at them. Bits and pieces of memories from last night flash in your mind. “What’s that?”

“It’s when you have too much alcohol in a short amount of time.” Juan says, his voice gentle. 

“But I don’t drink,” you protest. 

Huxley and Juan share a look. “You didn’t mean to,” Hux says.

Juan’s blue eyes study you. “Do you remember anything?”

You rack your brain, struggling to remember. “Um… we were driving and…” you trail off as your head pounds. “There was a party… and then…” Everything after that is gone, seemingly wiped from your brain. Looking up at him, you shake your head. 

“It’s okay. You’re lucky you don’t have brain damage,” Huxley soothes. 

Juan stands. “Now, there are two gentlemen with something to say.” He turns to the medbay doors and waves. “Eric, Murph, come in.”

Mark and Eric walk in, their heads down. The way their shoulders slump reminds you of a puppy with its tail tucked between its legs. 

“Hey, Y/N.” Eric says softly, avoiding eye contact. Murph shuffles in behind him, as though he’s trying to hide. 

Your brow furrows. “Hey guys. What’s going on?”

The two of them stand there, silent, when Juan kicks Murph’s foot. “They have something to say, isn’t that right?”

Murph nods. “We’re sorry,” he motions to the bed, coughing into his fist. “About what happened.”

Eric swallows. “We’re sorry we let you get drunk.”

Juan gives them an approving nod. 

You laugh, still squinting under the bright lights. “It’s fine. I bet I had fun.” You pause for a second, a memory suddenly hitting you. You grin at Murph. “Hey, did you get that girl’s number?”

His face goes red, and his eyes flick to Juan before he looks up at you. “No.”

You frown. “Damn.”

Juan gives your shoulder a squeeze and stands. “I’ll see you two at your stations.”

The two boys nod quickly. 

Huxley smiles at you. “You’ll be here for a little while, okay? I just need to monitor you for a short bit.”

You smile. “That’s fine.” Glaring up at the lights, you lock eyes with her. Sheepishly, you ask, “Do you mind turning down the lights?”

She nods and leaves the three of you alone. A few seconds later, the lights dim. You let out a relieved sigh. 

You smile conspiratorially up at the boys. Keeping your voice low, you whisper, “So… Did you get it?”

He looks around before answering, his dark shaggy hair flopping in front of his eyes. Pulling out a piece of paper, he shows it to you. “Yup.”

Eric slaps him upside the head. “The Chairman told you to throw that out.”

You grin. “Aww come on, let him keep it.” Smirking, you look up at Eric. “It’s probably the only date he’ll ever get.”

Eric laughs with you. 

“Okay, I deserved that,” Murph says, raising his hands in surrender.

You motion to the IV in your arm. “Yes, you did.” 

Eric’s face goes serious. “We’re glad you’re okay.” He shifts his weight, his face burning. 

“I’m fine. Just annoyed.”

Murph frowns. “Why?”

“Because we all know the Chairman isn’t going to let either of us out of his sight for the next month.”

“More like year,” Eric sighs. 

The three of you share a grin. “But he can’t hold us hostage forever.”

Already, you can tell by the time you’re freed from medbay, you and the boys will be planning your next act of mischief. 


End file.
